Walking along the coastal path on a warm Autumn morning it would be easy to miss all the beauty amidst the dying undergrowth. The flowers have had their season and have fallen, leaving behind their produce on browned stems. Zooming in, the seedheads are fascinating, taking a variety of forms and structures, made even more striking in the absence of petals.
Masses of hemp agrimony and ragwort crowd up against the old wall. Their seedheads are legion with each fluffy, pom-pom like head packed with potential for the new year…
Each ragwort seedhead is made up of many seeds, each with its fine, feathery flying apparatus atached. The hemp agrimony heads are larger, by comparison with flying gear that is somewhat shorter.
Wild carrots present to the world a head full of seeds, each covered in tiny spikes, jam packed atop the stem until dispersal.
Burdock has much larger seeds, also covered in spikes, more densely packed and harder than the carrot’s. Each sits along the stem waiting for transport, on which to attach itself.
Other interesting seedheads include: rosebay-willowherb, mallow, teasel, red campion, sea campion and fennel.
